The Godfather: The Don's Edition

"Become the Don of a powerful crime family."

Story - 10/10
If you're a true fan of the Godfather films, you will definitely enjoy the compelling story of this game. You create your own character and you carry out orders from various members of the Corleone family, including Don Vito Corleone himself. Eventually, you rise from a lowly Associate in the Corleone family to Don by completing missions and earning respect. Missions mimic the events of the first Godfather film, such as helping Don Vito Corleone get to the hospital after an assassination attempt by the rival Tattaglia family. You may also participate in various 'favor' missions in which you do specific favors for various members of the Corleone family, favor missions do not impact the storyline however. You may also partake in various 'hitman' missions in which you carry out orders to kill off rival high-ranking gangsters, which also earn you respect as well as extra cash if you carry out those orders the way the game suggests it.

Game Play - 10/10
The game play in The Godfather: The Don's Edition is outstanding. It is a major improvement from the PS2 version, manipulating the six-axis control scheme to work with the 'black hand' controls. In order to gain respect among your Corleone counterparts, you must take over businesses, warehouses, transport hubs, and rival family compounds to advance the storyline. If you're having a rough time trying to take over a compound or warehouse, once you reach Associate rank you may call in for a 4-man hit squad to back you up when the going gets tough, this feature is a new addition from the previous versions of The Godfather. Bribing the cops is essential when trying to eliminate or invade a turf owned by a rival family, you may bribe a police chief to keep the heat off the Corleone's even further. Rob banks, steal trucks owned by rival families, kill muggers for extra money, bomb cars and businesses, the possibilities are endless.

Graphics - 7/10
Graphics aren't what you should focus on for this game, especially considering it as a next-generation game. While they are a major improvement from the PS2 version, they are far from being the best in a next-gen game. The details on every character are spectacular, and the building/car textures are fairly detailed, but they just aren't up-to-par for a PS3 game. The graphics are mediocre at best.

Overall - 9/10
I would've given it a full 10/10 if it weren't for the mediocre graphics, but we all know graphics aren't everything, this game is excellent regardless and a must-buy for true fans of the Godfather films. With a small price of only $29.99, I would definitely consider picking this awesome game up at the store and giving it a go.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/08

Game Release: The Godfather: The Don's Edition (US, 03/20/07)